Welcome to Main Character Monday. Today my guest is Anna Marie Johnson from Anna’s Song by Brenda Gates. Welcome, Anna Marie. Let’s get started.
If you could choose only one thing to buy without money being an issue, what would you buy?
Oh, dear. That’s a hard one. At the beginning of my story, I’d have asked for enough to pay for the best private detective in the world. By the end of the book? What I would give for a car! But then, they hadn’t been invented yet. Then there’s antibiotics—but they hadn’t been invented yet either. Can you buy an end to war?
World peace, then? How much better would everything be if we could really learn to love each other. And it wouldn’t take money to do it. The New Testament tells the story of two sisters who react to Jesus visiting in very different ways. Mary chooses to spend her time with him, while Martha chooses to see to the physical details of his visit. Are you more a Mary or Martha?
Definitely a Martha. I’m very self-sufficient and am driven to solve problems. I usually end up making things worse for my meddling.
“Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world.” James 1:27 – Do you think this verse, lived out would have made a difference in your life? If so, how?
Most of my life I found religion to be useless. I became bitter and trusted no one. Then I met the Dickersons. They lived out this verse to such perfection that it broke me. They constantly lived seeking to help others—me included. Because of this, they were able to face their worse enemy and love him anyway.
It sounds like they made quite the impression in your life. What scripture verse would you claim as a life verse?
Psalm 40:3. “He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God. Many will see and fear, and put their trust in the Lord.” Because of my synesthesia, I could often hear the songs that are the essence of different people. I don’t know how to describe it aside from maybe the sounds of their soul? My own “song” was a tangle of chords that made no music. By the end of my story, God gave me a song of my own.
If there was one message you could give those reading this interview, what would that be?
Nothing you have done, nothing that has been done to you, can make you unlovable to God.
That is a powerful message for sure. Now for a little fun.
Indoor or outdoor: I’m more of an indoor girl. Boy! Was I stretched out of my comfort zone!
Writing or reading: Reading. I’ll leave the writing to my mother and sister.
Apples or Pears: Apples. Hard and sour. Kinda like me? Pears are too mushy.
Early Bird or Night Owl: Night owl.
Anna Marie, how would you describe Brenda Gates in three words?
Passionate, adventurous, mean. Look at what she made happen to me? No sweet and kind person would do all that.
Thank you to Brenda Gates for allowing me the opportunity to interview Anna Marie. You can find out the rest of Anna Marie’s story in Anna’s Song, which is available on Amazon.